Admin

Entries from August 31st, 2011

The Humbolt Wildlife Care Center has a tricky problem. They’re getting a lot of Brown Pelicans that need treatment for oil contamination. But because the birds are being hit by “fish oil” rather than petroleum, they’re finding themselves on their own in dealing the with problem. Apparently, the fish clean stations along the water dump […]

OK, we normally try to stick to birds around here. But every once in a while we get something that must be shared. This falls into that category. This is a baby horned lizard that our friends at the Tejon Ranch Conservancy found in the field yesterday. Yes, that’s the palm of someone’s hand, and […]

Thanks to the help of Chris Wilson and Chris Hauser at the Santa Lucia Conservancy, Tricolored Blackbirds have a new place to nest in Carmel Valley. Audubon California is working with the Conservancy to enhance several ponds on the 20,000-acre Santa Lucia Preserve to be more attractive and productive for Tricolored Blackbirds. Cattail habitat on one […]

Yesterday we linked to a very cool story on KPCC about an avid 15-year-old birder from Los Angeles. In a nice post on the KPCC site, reporter Molly Peterson says the story is a great sign for conservation and a unique opportunity for groups like Audubon, which runs the Audubon Center at Debs Park in […]

According to the Los Angeles Times, the implementation of new marine sanctuaries in Southern California will be delayed by several months for administrative reasons. Audubon California is a strong supporter of these protections, as they benefit seabirds. Share on Facebook

We applaud KQED in Los Angeles for taking the time to go birding with 15-year-old Jose Luis Sandoval of Wilmington. The station got great audio of him birding in Ken Molloy Regional Park in Harbor City. Note that he says he first got into birding by learning from Martin Byhower of the Palos Verdes/South Bay […]

Thanks to a settlement negotiated by the Golden Gate Audubon Society and other Bay Area Audubon chapters, operators of a controversial wind farm in Northern California will be substantially upgrading their facility in the coming years. The hope is that the modern turbines will present far less of a danger to birds than the older […]

So, with this big hurricane gearing up to rake the East Coast, we thought we’d ask Audubon Director of Bird Conservation Greg Butcher how weather like this affects birds. He told us that because fall migration season has already begun, especially for shorebirds, the impact of Irene on birds could be potential quite large. “Needless […]

Great turnout for today’s firstbird survey. More than 160 sightings coming in from Facebook, this blog, and Twitter. Big thanks to everyone that took part. Great to see this amazing collection of birds from California and beyond. Lots of great stuff in here. Check it out below: (California Quail by Dave Menke/USFWS) Share on Facebook

Gov. Jerry Brown today announced his appointment of Chuck Bonham to the position of Director of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG). Audubon California is pleased with this choice, as Bonham has a great track record of supporting vital conservation in California. Full press release from the Governor’s office below the fold: Share on Facebook

Yellow-billed Magpies were observed in 24 of California’s 58 counties during a recent volunteer survey sponsored by Audubon California to help support the conservation of this dynamic species. The survey – held June 3-6, 2011 – was the third annual effort to rally birders all around the state to venture outside in search of the […]

We took last week off, but we’re back this Friday with another Firstbird survey. It’s easy, all you have to do is look outside, make note of the first bird you see, then come back here and tell us about it. Use this link, or just post a comment below. Later in the day, we’ll […]

The Natural Resources Conservation Service recently launched a new $2 million pilot program to help increase the conservation value of rice farms for migratory birds. This pilot program is in large part due to work over the last three years by Audubon California, PRBO Conservation Science, and The Nature Conservancy that form the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership. […]

Hey, if you’re looking for a quick video of a Black Oystercatcher not doing much of anything, this is perfect for you. But seriously, this is one of our favorite birds and any chance we get to watch them is greatly appreciated. We found this one on Aramburu Island in Richardson Bay, where we’re currently […]